The Rotary Club of Batavia is inviting the Batavia and Genesee County communities to join in a Disaster Relief fund to aid the people devasted by the recent hurricanes and resulting floods in the southeast region of the country.
The local club voted unanimously on Tuesday to match the local community’s total donations up to $5,000.
“Because time is of the essence, we are seeking monetary donations deemed to be the fastest and most effective way to help the thousands of people impacted by these latest storms,” said Batavia Rotary Club President Michael Hodgins.
Persons or groups wishing to make a cash donation are urged to make checks payable to: The Rotary Club of Batavia and bring those checks to Lawley Insurance, 20 Jefferson Ave. in Batavia between 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. weekdays. The deadline for donations is noon on Monday, October 14. All cash raised will directly benefit relief efforts across disaster areas in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
Rotary clubs across the nation play a crucial role in assisting the affected areas. By leveraging their extensive network and resources, Rotary clubs can mobilize quickly to provide immediate aid, including food, clean water, and medical supplies. Additionally, Rotary members can volunteer their skills for rebuilding efforts, help coordinate disaster response activities, and support long-term recovery projects.
However, during the initial phase of any disaster recovery, the most important way to assist an impacted area is through cash donations.
Donations may be tax deductible in accordance with IRS regulations.
Look for this quilt and many others at The Museum Quilt Guild Show on Friday, October 18, and Saturday, October 19, at the Alexander Fireman’s Rec Hall. Submitted photo.
Press Release:
What do Yo-Yos, T-shirts, Hexagons and Cathedrals have in common? They are all types of quilts! You can expect to see these and more at The Museum Quilt Guild’s show on Friday, October 18, and Saturday, October 19 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The display will be at the Alexander Fireman’s Recreation Hall on Route 98 in Alexander.
The quilts are all made by guild members. There will be more than 150 quilts for the public to view. Some are full-size bed quilts- think warm and cozy to sleep under; some are throw quilts to wrap in while watching your favorite TV show or with a book; and some are wall hangings to be used as a beautiful wall décor.
All are made for the love of quilting, as a relaxing activity that has been shown to help reduce stress! It’s a great sense of accomplishment to complete a one-of-a-kind creation! We have members of all abilities, from beginners to seasoned award winners. We provide inspiration and new ideas for each other. We welcome new members to join our guild. We meet at the VA on the 3rd Saturday of the month.
The display quilts are not for sale, but there will be hand-made articles in our boutique that you may purchase. There is also a beautiful bed quilt that we are raffling off, as well as a silent auction and a basket raffle.
Proceeds of the show help to support our community service projects that we do throughout the year. We donate lap quilts to the cancer centers to provide comfort and warmth to cancer patients during treatment. Other quilts are donated to the VA, ARC, Head Start, All Babies Cherished and Crossroads House among others.
Admission to the show is $6 with children 10 and under admitted free. For more information about the show, please visit our website at www.themuseumquiltguild.com or call Elaine at 585-880-0456.
Photo taken this week of the former Odd Fellows Hall, 6177 Main Road, in Stafford. Photo by Howard Owens.
James Pontillo, owner of the former Odd Fellows Hall in Stafford, located at 6177 Main Road, in the middle of the hamlet, is under court order to produce architectural plans drawn up by an engineer for renovations of the building along with proof of the financial means to complete the project.
The court order, signed by Judge Diane Y. Devlin, Genesee County Supreme Court, is similar to multiple demands made by officials in the town of Stafford over the past decade.
James Pontillo, file photo from July. Photo by Howard Owens.
The deadline for Pontillo to produced plans was Oct. 3, but the court appearance scheduled that day was canceled because one of the attorneys in the case couldn't appear. It's unknown if he met that deadline. He has until Oct. 17 to provide proof that he can afford to complete the project.
The Odd Fellows Hall was built in 1890. It is 5,978 square feet. Pontillo acquired it at auction for $40,000 from Terry Platt in December 2010.
Since then, Pontillo has seemingly struggled to remodel and restore the building. He's often pointed to the town of Stafford officials as obstructionists. Town officials have prodded him repeatedly over the past decade to submit remodeling plans in order to obtain building permits and to bring the building up to code. There have also been questions about his financial ability to complete any effort to bring the building up to code.
At times, Pontillo has also complained that the owners of a neighboring property also hinder his ability to complete exterior work requested by the town.
As early as December 2010, town officials noted Pontillo's lack of follow-through on presenting plans to the town, according to public records obtained by The Batavian through a Freedom of Information Law request filed with the town.
On at least four occasions, code enforcement officers have issued notices of code violations with orders to correct those violations. Pontillo's efforts to comply with those orders often seem to be incomplete.
There have been issues with the roof, the exterior covering of the building, electrical boxes, and fire protection measures.
In 2017, code enforcement officers determined the building had numerous deficiencies making the building "clearly unsafe,” that it was "neglected,” that it presented a "threat to life and safety,” and it was unfit for habitation.
That was until at least June 2017, when an inspector from Pathstone informed Pontillo that an apartment did not meet HUD quality standards and would not be eligible for Section 8 assistance if the deficiencies were not cured within 24 hours.
On Aug. 10, 2017, the building was posted with a "not to be occupied" placard.
On at least three occasions, Pontillo was informed by the town that he needed to submit renovation plans completed by a licensed engineer in order to receive a building permit.
At a town board meeting on Sept. 12, 2016, town officials complained that Pontillo was doing work in the building without obtaining the proper permits.
Odd Fellows Hall in July, the day a group of volunteers joined James Pontillo and his wife in clearning up the property. Photo by Howard Owens.
After obtaining the building, Pontillo seemed to have lofty plans for it. In 2016, he told The Batavian he was planning to completely restore the building and open a quality pizza restaurant. To that end, he had already installed large pizza ovens along with other kitchen equipment. He also had ambitious plans to remodel the upstairs apartments.
Those plans have seemed to go nowhere and the building has fallen further into disrepair.
In July, the town filed a lawsuit against Pontillo. The proposed order submitted by attorney David Roach, representing Stafford, was for Pontillo to provide proof he can afford to complete work in the building and provide documents on the scope of the project.
Devlin's order, filed on Sept. 5, is more specific.
By Oct. 3, Pontillo was ordered to "provide to Plaintiff the scope of the project (project objectives; project schedule; and project budget for construction work on the building located at 6177 E. Main Road, Stafford, New York) as prepared by Matthew Hume or another licensed architect or professional engineer."
By Oct. 17, Pontillo was ordered to "provide to Plaintiff documented proof that defendant has the financial resources (e.g line of credit statement; loan approval statement; financial account statement) to complete the scope of the project."
All parties are scheduled for their next court appearance on Oct. 17.
It's unclear what will happen if Pontillo doesn't comply with the court order.
In a memo to the Stafford town board on Aug. 17, then-town attorney Mark Boylan intimated that the town could be on the hook for a significant expense to either bring the building up to code or demolish it. Those costs might not be recovered at auction. Such an auction could only take place if Pontillo fell sufficiently behind in taxes for the county to foreclose on the property or if he deeded the property -- for free -- to the town. The cost of demolition could be significant if any environmental hazards were discovered on the property.
Photo taken this week of the former Odd Fellows Hall, 6177 Main Road, in Stafford. Photo by Howard Owens.
Sid the goat and Rem, his big beautiful best friend, snuggle in what began as survival and ended up as a nightly ritual of family bonding and true warmth at Mockingbird Farm Sanctuary in Byron. Photo courtesy Mockingbird Farm Sanctuary
As founder Jonell Chudyk and volunteers prepare for the annual Fall Festival at Mockingbird Farm Sanctuary this Saturday, they are doing so with eagerness for newcomers to visit the farm and 47 rescued occupants — from ducks and chickens to donkeys, cows and pigs — while also with heavy hearts about loss in the way any animal lover would.
“Mockingbird has suffered the loss of three beloved senior animals this fall; we are devastated,” Chudyk says. “We haven’t had a death all year, and then we had three. We’re really struggling.”
Although they were senior animals, the lives of Sid, Lucy and Ferris were treated with utmost care and respect. They were overseen by a veterinarian and tested, diagnosed and treated with the expertise of Cornell University and thousands of dollars as part of extraordinary measures taken within the guardianship that Mockingbird vows to provide for each and every creature under its roof.
In the end, they died of terminal cancer, an unbeatable foe. But this isn’t about the ending; it’s about how it all began for one of these characters — Sid the goat — who liked to hobnob with his furry friends as his personality and reputation grew ever more endearing on the farm.
How it all began Chudyk was alerted to Sophie, a Holstein cow found in a field all by herself a few years back, and went to get her and bring her back to the farm. While there, Chudyk saw another cow and a goat nearby and asked, “What about these guys?”
“The neighbors were like, well, the woman who lived next door and actually initially rescued these animals, she fell on hard times. Her home was a foreclosure and she was not allowed to come back onto the property. So the neighbors promised that they would do their best to take care of these three," Chudyk said. "But that turned into they had no shelter, no consistent food, no consistent water. So the neighbors really loved Rem and said they had plans of moving them onto their property. So we took Sophie that day in a blizzard. She was the first to get here. That was in 2018."
As time progressed “We stayed in contact with the neighbors and I said, I'd really love to reunite this family if and whenever there comes a time. So if you guys ever get to the point where Rem needs to move, we will always take them. We will always keep space,” she said. “So a couple years later, I think it was 2021, they called, and they said, unfortunately, we have to move. Will you take them? Absolutely. So we brought them home. And when Sophie saw, especially Sid, I sobbed. We all sobbed. It was Sid, at this point he was 15 or 16. He jumped like four feet in the air. I have a picture of it. He was so happy, and they were running around the pasture like, oh my God, my family, we’re back together.”
Sid and Rem in the pasture at Mockingbird Farm Sanctuary in June. Photo courtesy of Mockingbird Farm Sanctuary.
And for the next four years, they’ve been a family on the farm, especially Rem, the doe-eyed Jersey cow and Sid the Goat. Chudyk eventually learned that since those two had no stable shelter, Sid would wear Rem as his winter coat, in a manner of speaking, to keep warm. The two were inseparable buddies with a perceptible bond, she said.
Lessons of survival, sharing “Sid learned to survive by crawling next to Rem and pressing himself up next to Rem for body heat. He would walk right over, and he would press himself up against Rem and tuck his head under his neck and soak up all of his body heat, and then eventually lay down next to him every single night, especially in the winter,” she said. “So I started documenting this, just because it was adorable, and when Sid was (nearly) 18, things were not going well … and we knew it might not be long, so I made one video on TikTok (see video below) that explains this story, this love story, and it blew up.
“The next day I had hundreds of messages from social media influencers and everybody from animal rights organizations who wanted to share this story and they did,” she said. “And then we had this wild Rem and Sid following, and I would go live and would post videos of them snuggling at night with Rem’s or Sid’s coat on. Like every night they would just be, it’s precious. It’s just unbelievable.”
The two were super close, she said, and were never without one another. And that closeness translated through the video and across social media to viewers’ hearts. They had at least 10 million views and counting, from the United States and abroad, including England, Germany and the Netherlands.
Remembering a friend to the end Jonell and volunteers wanted to respect Sid’s life every step of the way, including when he entered palliative care. That meant allowing his best friend to be there with him, to touch noses when Sid was on an IV for his nutrition, and after he laid down for his final nap.
After Sid died, his fellow mates, cows River and Cici, visited him first in his bed, and Cici bellowed a knowing grief, Chudyk said. Rem came in next and sniffed at Sid and began to drool a lot, which, according to behavioral studies, indicates emotional distress, she said.
“Rem was just drooling and was just soaking it in, and he knew he was gone, and then he walked away, and then he came back,” she said.
“Sophie came in, and I’ve never seen that look on her face, and her eyes got huge, and she sniffed him from hoof to head, and then she looked in his little bedroom, like, is he in there? And then she was drooling and drooling and drooling, and she just stood there,” Chudyk, a licensed therapist, said. “The feeling in that barn was so palpable. I mean, you cannot deny the animals don’t feel these things. And we’ve all been worried about how Rem would do. Thank God he’s got the other cows and Sophie because they have not left each other’s side.
“Sid was a goat, he couldn’t be out in the beating sun with the cows laying, he had to take care of himself as an old man, so he would sometimes come into the barn to get some shade. And Rem would always kind of just check on him and make sure he was good. But now Rem lays out in the sunshine with the cows, and they’re all four of them just are together all the time,” Chudyk said. “And there is a very deep heaviness of loss on the farm, especially with all three being gone. But Sid was genuinely larger than life, he was the sweetest goat on the planet. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, he would come up to every single person and rub his head on you and he was so kind and gentle, but also so sassy. He was Houdini, he could break out of anything. But just never wanted to be without Rem.”
As hard as it was to talk about the mighty duo, she wanted to share not only their real life tale of survival and overcoming hardship together despite the obstacles, a separation and unlikely pairing, but also the message that shines through it all.
Grieve, and tell the happy stories “I guess I think that at a time when it feels like we as the human species, we're so polarized, and maybe feel like we have very little in common with one another like this, to this story of unlikely friends, like big and small and two different species have kind of, all on their own, shown the whole world how beautiful compassion for one another can be. And I think we really all need that right now,” she said. “And grief is a natural part of life, but supporting one another through that and reaching out to others and crying and telling happy stories, I mean, I still can't look at pictures of them, but yeah, I think at the end of the day, this is just one of a million stories we have here at the farm like this of these bonds. But this one in particular really hit the world.”
This year’s third annual Fall at the Farm Festival and Fundraiser is from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at 5978 Upper Holley Road, Byron. The farm’s goal is $10,000 to cover medical expenses and winter hay for what has been “the most unimaginable heartbreaking month,” she said, so everyone is pulling together for what they hope to be the biggest festival ever.
Visitors can see Rem and his friends, buy some fresh produce snacks for the animals, get a walking farm tour, and shop at the barnyard sale stocked with some “seriously amazing” items and 26 vendors. There will also be a pumpkin patch, raffle baskets, live music, lots of children’s games and activities, a scavenger hunt, three vegan food vendors and a coffee stand, giveaways, face painting, temporary tattoos and a kids craft table.
Suggested donation of $10 at the door includes 10 raffle tickets.
David Wagenhauser, candidate for New York's 24th Congressional District, spent an engaging day in Genesee County, connecting with constituents and discussing the issues that matter most to the community.
The day began at the Pub Hub in Batavia, where Wagenhauser held a coffee meeting with residents from across the district, fostering open dialogue about local concerns and priorities, including the local cost of living, jobs and our threatened Medicare and Social Security.
Following the morning gathering, Wagenhauser hit the streets for a door-to-door campaign effort, personally meeting with individuals - where they live - to hear their thoughts on the challenges they face every day.
"It’s important to me to listen to the voices of the people. Their stories and experiences are what drive my commitment to serve this district. I've heard you and I want to make your life a little better. We deserve a break," Wagenhauser remarked.
In the afternoon, Wagenhauser visited the charming Autumn in the Village event in Corfu, beautifully organized by dedicated local volunteers. "It’s good to be back home," Wagenhauser said. "I lived in Batavia - where we also had an office for our family business - and my children attended Holy Family School in Leroy. This community holds a special place in my heart."
As he campaigns for the seat in New York's 24th District, which spans 14 counties from Watertown to Niagara, Wagenhauser remains focused on addressing the needs of his friends and neighbors here in Genesee County.
He is running against incumbent Claudia Tenney. For more information about David Wagenhauser’s campaign or to get involved, please visit DaveforUpstate.com.
HomeCare & Hospice proudly serves Allegany, Cattaraugus, Genesee, and Wyoming counties is offering presentations about the services they provide.
HomeCare & Hospice is a licensed home care program allowing patients with short-term needs or chronic conditions to remain safely in their own homes. Hospice and palliative care programs, also available through HCH, are a multi-disciplinary approach to end-of-life care providing physician oversight, nurses, social work, spiritual care, aides, and volunteers to ensure patients and their caregivers’ needs are met wherever they call home.
“Something we hear often is ‘we wish we would have called you sooner’”, said Nikki Wiseman, Chief Nursing Officer at HomeCare & Hospice in Allegany. “We want the communities we serve to understand and know that they have options when it comes to end-of-life care and we look forward to providing more information to local organizations.”
To schedule a presentation at your organization, please contact Nikki Wiseman, HomeCare & Hospice Chief Nursing Officer, at 716-372-2106 or visit www.homecare-hospice.org for more information.
The City of Batavia Fire Department is sponsoring the 11th annual Fire Prevention Week Coloring Contest. This is a coloring contest open to students from grades Kindergarten- Fifth Grade. “Our hope is to get the children to discuss safety with their teachers, other students and parents/guardians.”
Information has been distributed to City schools, but we wanted to include any home schooled children in the City of Batavia School district as well. Copies of the official coloring page and contest rules are available at City of Batavia Fire Department, 18 Evans Street or by contacting Lieutenant Bob Tedford at rtedford@batavianewyork.com. We encourage all eligible students to participate.
The 2024 Fire Prevention Week (October 6-12) theme is “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!” Additional information can be found at the Fire Prevention Week website www.FPW.org.
Smoke alarms can make a life-saving difference in a home fire, but they have to be working in order to protect people, “This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign drives home just how important it is to install, test, and maintain smoke alarms to ensure they’re working properly.”
Any posters wishing to be entered need to be at the Fire Station located at 18 Evans Street in Batavia no later than Tuesday, October 15 at 4 p.m.
Judging of the posters will take place October 13-17. The winner of each group will receive a ride to school on a City Fire Engine, and be invited to a special awards luncheon with their family held at the fire station. Second and third place finishers in each group will also be invited to the fire station awards luncheon.
The UR Medicine Mobile Mammography Van will be providing breast screenings at Batavia Downs.
The van will be available on October 23 from 9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. in the parking lot at Batavia Downs.
This service offers advanced 3D mammography screenings targeting women aged 40 and older. It's an easy, quick process that provides the same quality of care as an in-office visit.
To schedule an appointment, call 1-844-870-0002 or email mammovan@urmc.rochester.edu. You can also visit their website at mammovan.urmc.edu for more information.
Marlarie Joanne Smart, 37, of Pembroke, and Melani Lynn Maloney, 43, of Pembroke, are both charged with petit larceny and conspiracy 6th. Smart and Maloney, sisters, are accused of working together to steal $112.90 in merchandise from Walmart by "skip scanning" while checking out. Both were issued appearance tickets.
Joni Marie Johnson, 49, of Millicent Avenue, Buffalo, is charged with resisting arrest and petit larceny. Johnson is accused of stealing merchandise from Dick's Sporting Goods at 6:20 p.m. on Oct. 4. She was held pending arraignment.
Timothy Dennis Clark, 54, of Charwood Circle, Rochester, is charged with petit larceny and conspiracy 6th. Clark is accused of working with another person to steal merchandise from Dollar General on Townline Road, Byron at 9:26 p.m. on Sept. 30. Also charged, Ryan Michael Bobzin, 35, of West Bergen Road, Bergen.
Oliver Thomas, 33, of Elba, is charged with DWI, driving on a restricted license, following too close, and consumption of alcohol in motor vehicle. Thomas was stopped at 12:01 a.m. on Oct. 2 on Route 63 in Batavia by Deputy Jeremiah Gechell.
Edward Micahel Gorski, 42, of Genesee Street, Pembroke, is charged with criminal contempt 2nd. Gorski is accused of violating a stay-away order by going to the protected party's residence in Pembroke at 6:21 p.m. on Oct. 3.
John Robert Kormos, 55, of Parma, Ohio, is charged with DWI, drinking alcohol in a motor vehicle, and moving from lane unsafely. Kormos was stopped at 9:24 p.m. on Oct. 5 on Oak Orchard Road, Elba, by Deputy Zachary Hoy.
Morris Marquis Taylor, 34, West Barre Road, Albion, is charged with felony DWI, speeding, and drinking alcohol or using cannabis in a motor vehicle. Taylor was topped at 2:34 a.m. on Oct. 6 on West Main Street, Batavia, by Deputy Jacob Kipler. He was held pending arraignment.
Business Improvement District merchants in downtown Batavia invite families in the community to participate in the Annual Business to Business Trick or Treat this month.
This is a fun and safe way to trick or treat and get to know area businesses and the services they offer, merchants say. This event is from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 26. It is free to the community and is sponsored by the participating BID businesses, which will be identified by a purple sign in their establishments.
Look for a full list of participants at bataviabid.com. Grab your mask and come downtown for a fun-filled day.
Every year the City of Batavia Fire Department spreads the word in town, and throughout our schools and community about fire prevention.
Fire Prevention week is observed each year during the week of October 9 in commemoration of the Great Chicago Fire, which began on October 8, 1871. This horrific fire killed more than 250 people and destroyed more than 17,400 structures leaving more than 100,000 people homeless.
This year the City of Batavia Fire Department is teaming up with the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) — The official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week for more than 100 years — to promote this year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign, “Smoke alarms: make them work for you”.
This year’s focus on working smoke alarms comes in response to NFPA data, which shows that the majority of U.S. home fire deaths continue to occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
Smoke alarms can make a life-saving difference in a home fire, but they have to be working in order to deliver the needed protection. This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign reinforces the critical importance of smoke alarms and what’s needed to install, test, and maintain them properly.
Having working smoke alarms in the home reduces the risk of dying in a home fire by more than half (54 percent).
However, roughly three out of five fire deaths occur in homes with either no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. More than one-third (38 percent) of home fire deaths result from fires in which no smoke alarms are present.
People tend to remove smoke alarm batteries or dismantle them altogether when they don’t know how to fix the issue. These actions put them at serious risk in the event of a home fire.
The City of Batavia Fire Department encourages all residents to embrace the 2023 Fire Prevention Week theme. “Smoke alarms: make them work for you”.
The City of Batavia Fire Department wants to share the following safety messages that support this year’s theme:
Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area (like a hallway), and on each level (including the basement) of the home.
Make sure smoke alarms meet the needs of all family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
Test smoke alarms at least once a month by pushing the test button.
Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or don’t respond when tested.
For City residents: to setup an appointment to install a free smoke detector or battery please contact Fire Headquarters at 585-345-6375.
To learn more about Fire Prevention Week and this year’s theme, “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!” visit fpw.org. Additional Fire Prevention Week resources for children, caregivers, and educators can be found at sparky.org and sparkyschoolhouse.org.
The City of Batavia Fire Department is hosting a series of events in support of this year’s Fire Prevention Week; including stops at Batavia schools, housing units, and the library.
The Holland Land Office Museum is proud to announce its next History Story Time. Since our last History Storytime last month, Anne Marie Starowitz will be back on October 26!
Starowitz will be doing the theme Halloween and Fall Treats from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Contact the museum at 585-343-4727 or hollandlandoffice@gmail.com if you would like to sign your kids or grandchildren up! It is sure to be spooktacular! Admission is $5 for non-members and $3 for members!
Le Roy-based American Warrior, a non-profit that serves veterans and helps guide high school students into military careers, produced a video to promote the veteran's umpire training program run by Wounded Warriors in Carlisle, Pa.
Dan Clor, president of American Warrior, said the program prepares veterans to to become umbires in youth baseball programs as well as in high school and college baseball games. A board member of Wounded Warrior is part of the American Warrior team, Clor said.
The program, Clor said, provides veterans with a renewed sense of purpose.
"All Wounded Veterans who could use something to believe in can apply (to the program)," Clor said. " It's all expenses paid, including travel and equipment. We're also seeking individuals who would like to donate to the cause.
"Wounded Warrior Umpire Academy is much more than an Umpiring Camp. It's a way for Veterans to heal, grow and inspire. With a renewed sense of purpose, WWUA Veterans thrive in their communities through the love of baseball and an overall sense of belonging."
A 44-year-old man from Batavia was ejected from his pickup truck while still belted in his seat as the result of a collision on Friday in the Town of Le Roy.
Gregory Baker was transported by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The accident was reported at 7:32 a.m. on Friday at Griswold Road and West Bergen Road.
According to a preliminary investigation by the Sheriff's Office, Baker was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 eastbound on Griswold when he apparently failed to stop for a stop sight. The truck collided with a 2005 Kenworth tractor-trailer driven by Richard McCullough, 29, of Le Roy.
Neither McCullough nor the child in the semi-trailer was injured in the accident.
The accident is still under investigation.
Assisting the Sheriff's Office at the scene were State Police, Le Roy PD, Le Roy Fire, Mercy EMS, and Le Roy Ambulance Service.
2024 File Photo of Genesee County Office for the Aging's 50th anniversary celebration, with county Legislator John Deleo, OFA DIrector Diana Fox, former Director Ruth Spink, Jill Yasses and county Legislator Gregg Torrey. Photo by Howard Owens.
If it seems as though Diana Fox is a broken record each year, it’s because she’s sounding the same alarm of what’s to come for Genesee County as the year 2035 approaches: sky-high population numbers for people aged 60 and older as those demographics have continued to increase from 2010 -- with no answer yet to the homecare aide shortage.
And as director of the county’s Office for the Aging, Fox has kept a wary eye on her department’s rising costs in direct relation to staffing needs for the assorted care needed by that age group, she says.
“The 2025 budget increase is influenced by rising salary/fringe benefits and contractual services, which are necessary to meet growing service demands. This is something the OFA, like other County departments, is factoring into future planning,” Fox said to The Batavian. “My biggest concern is to make sure we are in a position to provide what our community needs and is going to need in the coming years with the changing demographics.”
Fox has requested a 2025 budget of $2,742,738, an increase of $330,325 from the 2024 adopted budget. This includes $1,675,997 for salaries/fringe benefits, $20,280 for equipment, and $1,046,461 for contractual costs, plus a proposed net county support of $430,695, for an increase of $102,412.
While it may seem like a bit of the boy crying wolf after a few go-rounds, it’s a building phenomenon of an older population that wants to remain at home, but could use some assistance from a home health care worker for that to happen. The problem is that there’s a shortage of home health care aides to fill the demand, Fox said — a problem that has been front and center now for at least the last few years.
This isn’t just a local issue, as one of the most significant national trends among older adults is the desire to receive services at home, said Lauren Casalveri, vice president and chief Medicare officer for New York and New Jersey at CVS Health.
While these types of jobs would provide crucial services to seniors, they often don’t pay well or hand out decent, if any, benefits, and can be physically and emotionally draining career choices given the low monetary payoffs. (See also Conundrum of aging and Seniors on wait list for an aide get potential lift.)
And if you’re not a senior, or don’t have a parent or grandparent in that position currently, this won’t seem like a big deal. But give it five years, or 10. By 2035, there are to be 20,000 people aged 60 and older, with about 16,000 of them 65-plus, 7,000 75-plus and about 2,000 85 and older. One way or the other, the county will be caring for a whole lot of seniors, whether it’s at a nursing home, assisted living, or at one’s own home, and this will include Medicaid and Medicare assistance.
Office for the Aging prevents and delays the spend down to Medicaid, as well as in appropriate utilization of skilled nursing facilities and emergency departments, Fox said in her annual report, by engaging the community, from healthy older adults to those most at risk, by addressing the social determinate of health.
These determinate are “individual behaviors, social and environmental factors that, together, make up more than 60% of all health care expenditures,” she said. “Interventions to address them comprise only 3% of national health expenditures, with 97% going to medical services.
“Genesee County OFA’s role is essential for the continued health and well-being of individuals and families in our community, especially as our older adult population continues to grow larger,” she said. “We provide services in a person-centered way, while coordinating and working with other systems at a fraction of the cost of institutional care options.”
Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) have served as local leaders on aging, she said, by planning, developing, funding and implementing local systems of coordinated home and community-based services.
These agencies lead local networks of providers to deliver services to older adults and include information and referral assistance, in-home care, congregate and home-delivered meals, adult day care, case management, transportation, legal services, and caregiver support/respite and more, she said. That is, of course, when there are caregivers available.
In Genesee County, this network serves 324 people aged 60 and older with core services, including personal care, home delivered meals and case management. These services are targeted to older adults who are the most vulnerable in need and promote health and independence, and prevention health care spending and placement in long-term care facilities, according to her report.
“The report emphasized the growing demand for resources due to the aging population in Genesee County, especially in relation to in-home care services,” Fox said. “The Office for the Aging's (OFA) role in preventing the need for more costly institutional care was also highlighted, along with the need for solutions to meet these demands. Key points included the 2025 budget, program expansions, and challenges in addressing shortages of homecare aides and support services.”
The Batavian asked Fox if she agreed that it would be beneficial for educational institutions to offer more courses and/or programs aimed at home care to ramp up the field and offer more information to job seekers.
“I am supportive of more educational focus to encourage individuals to enter this workforce,” she said. “Given the growing demand, this field offers job security and stability, making it an attractive option for students and career changers alike.”
A recent housing needs assessment showed that housing of all types and income levels are needed, including for seniors looking for low maintenance rentals or wanting to rehab their current houses to remain where they are. By the end of 2024, OFA will have installed three ramps, one stair lift and six walk-in showers as part of those required modifications.
The agency’s clients receiving monthly services are five for laundry; 10 for cleaning; 34 for personal emergency response systems and 17 to obtain incontinent supplies, Fox said. Wait lists continue for homecare aides, and availability remains at critically low levels nationwide, she said.
“We continue to have state unmet needs funds to come up with creative solutions to address the aide shortage, but it’s not going to solve the overall problem of those who truly need in-home aides to help with personal care, toileting, etc.,” she said. “Our state and federal associations continue to advocate for better direct care worker funding and career packaging in order to hopefully entice individuals into this workforce.”
OFA averaged 42 clients for that Unmet Needs Fund during the year, she said, and 57 people are waiting for homecare aide service.
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) released the following statement underscoring the importance of maintaining the tax cuts introduced under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), commonly known as the Trump Tax Cuts.
In 2017, with Tenney’s strong support, Republicans enacted the TCJA which reduced taxes on middle-income families and small businesses and created nearly five million domestic jobs in just the two years after its passage. In 2022, Tenney supported the TCJA Permanency Act to make permanent the tax cuts for individuals and small businesses originally enacted as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017.
However, these tax cuts are set to expire on December 31, 2025, which could mean significant tax increases for the 440,200 taxpayers in New York's 24th District. The average taxpayer in NY-24 could face a 25% tax hike if the cuts are not extended. A family of four with a median income of $69,878 in NY-24 would experience a $1,373 tax increase, equivalent to about seven weeks' worth of groceries for a typical family.
Impact on NY-24 by the Numbers:
78,990 families would see their Child Tax Credit cut in half.
92% of taxpayers would see their Standard Deduction reduced by nearly 50%.
40,720 small businesses would pay an effective 43.4% tax rate if the 199A Qualified Business Income Deduction expires.
14,827 taxpayers would be affected by the return of the individual Alternative Minimum Tax.
The current death tax exemption will be cut in half, affecting 6,804 family-owned farms in NY-24.
"Since its passage in 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has delivered financially for families, small businesses, and hardworking Americans across the country," said Congresswoman Tenney. "Millions of Americans have seen their tax burdens reduced, but if these cuts expire, hardworking families in our community could face a 25% tax hike. We must preserve the TCJA provisions that have provided much-needed relief to taxpayers in New York. As a strong advocate for pro-growth policies, I will continue working to ensure the benefits of the Trump Tax Cuts remain in place for future generations."
October 2023 File Photo of when Linda Borinquena opened inside The Crapshoot Kitchen & Commissary on Harvester Avenue in Batavia. Photo by Howard Owens
Harvester Center’s east side business incubator was bustling at one point about a year ago -- with three new food places, a children's entertainment venue and a community workout place -- marked now by vacancies.
Vianiliz “Vee” Echevarria Rivera and her mother, Elizabeth, had brought authentic Puerto Rican food to Batavia with Linda Borinqueña, which meant “a beautiful Puerto Rico,” a takeout restaurant, alongside entrepreneur Rob Credi’s Xavmen Ramen takeout place and adjacent to Windy Brew, a second location for the craft brewer based in Strykersville.
Linda Borinqueña and Xavmen Ramen were housed under the umbrella of The Crapshoot Kitchen & Commissary, a culinary space available for rent owned by Credi. Although all three places were as ideally situated as can be in that monstrous building — street level — one by one they each have closed, or are soon to be closing.
Credi owns the popular Pub Coffee Hub down on the north end of the street, and The Crapshoot Commissary, a space for rent by small food business owners looking to open a takeout restaurant and/or a food truck delivery or catering business, toward the south. He is also business manager for the future Shush Wine Bar LLC on Jackson Street in downtown Batavia.
Rivera took the opportunity to follow her dream for awhile with the Puerto Rican takeout place, and received rave reviews upon opening, she said, but eventually opted to close it down. Anyone who has ever owned and operated a food business will tell you that it becomes a 24/7 grind that requires staff, time and energy to maintain.
Although Windy Brew opened its doors in August 2023 with “pride and excitement about the future,” a more recent decision was made, the owners said on their social media site.
“While feedback and reviews from the community were strong from the start, it was a challenge to gain a foothold and draw in the volume of patronage that is necessary to sustain a business. That is why we have made the difficult decision to close Windy Brew Batavia. Our last day of operation will be October 13th,” the post stated.
Those three businesses, plus House of Bounce and The Brick, which each moved (The Brick is now Flex Space) to downtown locations this year, have left gaps at Harvester Center.
A Harvester tenant said that the site at 56 Harvester Ave. is also missing a property manager, since he is no longer serving in that position.
Following the defeat of an electric bus proposal by voters in Chautauqua County’s Bemus Point school district, Senator George Borrello has penned a letter to Governor Hochul urging her to clarify how the state plans to address the public resistance schools are encountering.
“It is clear that everyday New Yorkers being asked to vote on electric bus proposals are using something that is in short supply in Albany: common sense,” said Senator Borrello. “They see the exorbitant costs of these buses and no funding plan to pay for them after start-up grants run out. They consider their limited traveling distance and cold weather vulnerability and wonder how long rural routes and field trips will be managed. And then they come to the logical conclusion that this mandate shouldn’t move forward now.”
“While the Governor and my Democratic colleagues blame these voter defeats on poor communication and outreach by the school districts, that certainly wasn’t the case in the Bemus Point district. They hosted three, well-publicized information sessions, offered bus walk-throughs, saturated their social media channels and website with proposal information and had a feature on a Buffalo news channel, all aimed at educating voters about the issue and the already-secured financial incentives that would cover the costs,” said Sen. Borrello.
Sen. Borrello cited the Superintendent’s explanation for the ‘no’ votes:
“Based on feedback shared with us from the Board of Election poll workers and other school employees, the majority of community members who voted were simply not in favor of electric school buses. It didn’t matter how much the district received in financial incentives; they did not support the political process that put this mandate into place. They firmly believed that a “no” vote would stop the process to transition to electric school buses.” – Superintendent Joseph Reyda, Bemus Point Central School District.
Bemus Point’s situation is one that is shared by several other districts around the state whose voters have also voted down electric bus proposals. Those schools include districts in Baldwinsville, Cortland, Ithaca, Newfield, Mexico, and most recently, Herkimer. Senator Borrello noted that in Baldwinsville, the proposition to purchase diesel school buses passed easily while the electric bus proposal was voted down by 2 to 1.
“My question to the Hochul administration is, ‘where do we go from here’? The school officials are trapped between the state mandate and their district taxpayers,” said Sen. Borrello. “The voters obviously don’t want this forced on them by the state, at least not now. This is one more example of how Albany’s haste to push through a radical law, without due diligence and stakeholder input, has backfired.”
“My legislation replacing the mandate with a pilot program would allow schools to test how these buses perform before taxpayer monies are spent. I am urging the Governor to listen to the message voters are sending and pump the brakes on this mandate. Unless we come up with a more sensible plan, school administrators may have to divert funding away from supporting our kids and teachers in order to meet this senseless virtual-signaling mandate from Albany. We must not allow that to happen,” concluded Sen. Borrello.
Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of fans from both the Batavia Bulldawgs and Le Roy Knights, United Way’s Backpack Program in Genesee County has received significant support. At last weekend’s football game, supporters from both teams donated nearly 1,300 food and hygiene items and raised over $560, helping to ensure that students in need have access to essential resources.
All contributions will directly impact students throughout Genesee County, providing easy-to-make meals and critical hygiene supplies. The funds raised through the collection drive cover the costs of additional food items purchased from Foodlink, who provides food shipments to ensure a steady supply of meals and supports the program’s continued success.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support from both teams and their fans,” said United Way Community Relationship Manager Lindsey Dailey. “Our community always steps up when there’s a need, and this outpouring of generosity will go a long way toward helping students in Genesee County.”
ARC GLOW Batavia – ARC Community Pre-Vocational Group will transport the food and hygiene items to Batavia High School and assist with bagging the backpacks for the Backpack Program. Batavia High School Vocational Coordinator Jana Kesler has been coordinating efforts with the teachers of the High School Work Study Program and their students. The High School Work Study Program students are now taking the lead on filling backpacks for their peers, highlighting the district’s commitment to empowering students.
